Letter: The rich get richer

I know four different people who are in danger of losing their homes. In my previous 54 years of existence, I cannot recall knowing even one person who was in this situation. These are all good people, all with families, all hard-working people who until recently were getting along just fine. Are they in danger of losing their homes because they had exotic mortgages they couldn’t afford, because they spent beyond their means, because they were financially irresponsible?

No. In each case, they are in this state because they have lost their jobs, been laid off because of cutbacks or questionable cost-saving moves. They all want desperately to work, but have been unemployed for many months and can find only menial part-time work, or nothing at all.

Meanwhile, people on Wall Street who wrecked the economy are reaping their huge bonuses. And the politicians are doing nothing. Wall Street is thriving; Main Street is dying. Money drives policy. Money drives regulation. Money is blocking meaningful health-care reform. Money paves the way for big box retailers all over Maine to destroy family owned stores and small businesses. Money controls political access.

This is not the promise of America. This is not what we were taught that our society is based on. If you are not really, really angry, you must be asleep, dead or rich.